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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 6 · Chapter 12: Vṛtrāsura’s Glorious Death
6.12.76.12.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.12.8

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vṛtrāsurasince 6.12.7inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

लोका: सपाला यस्येमे श्वसन्ति विवशा वशे ।

द्विजा इव शिचा बद्धा: स काल इह कारणम् ॥ ८ ॥

lokāḥ sapālā yasyeme

śvasanti vivaśā vaśe

dvijā iva śicā baddhāḥ

sa kāla iha kāraṇam

Translation

All living beings in all the planets of this universe, including the presiding deities of all the planets, are fully under the control of the Lord. They work like birds caught in a net, who cannot move independently.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Everyone Depends on the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    All living beings, including the presiding deities of the planets, are under the Lord’s control, like birds caught in a net.

  2. 2

    The suras understand that nothing happens without the Lord’s desire, whereas the asuras do not. In this fight, Vṛtrāsura is actually the sura and Indra the asura.

  3. 3

    Victory and defeat come according to karma under the Supreme Lord’s judgment. From Brahmā to the insignificant ant, no one is independent.

Key points from the purport
  • The difference between the suras and the asuras is that the suras know that nothing can happen without the desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whereas the asuras cannot understand the supreme will of the Lord.
  • No one can act independently; rather, everyone acts under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Whether we are defeated or victorious, the Supreme Lord is always victorious because everyone acts under His directions.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Danger → Fearless longing. A seeming enemy reveals the heart of a great devotee.

Chapters 11–13 of Canto 6: Vṛtrāsura's prayers and final battle. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 12: Vṛtrāsura’s Glorious Death

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Not knowing that the Supreme Lord is the cause of all causes, fools and rascals try to take credit for victory or defeat themselves, but everything is actually under the control of the Lord. No one but Him has any independence.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.12
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. lokāḥthe worlds
  2. sa-pālāḥwith their chief deities or controllers
  3. yasyaof whom
  4. imeall these
  5. śvasantilive
  6. vivaśāḥfully dependent
  7. vaśeunder the control
  8. dvijāḥbirds
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 6.12

    In this verse: “understand”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where do I tend to assume that I am completely independent?

Practice

Before one activity today, pause to acknowledge your dependence on the Supreme Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEveryone Depends on the Supreme LordThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 6.12.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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